Jealousy
by mistressmarionette
Summary: Kurogane has made some rather biased judgments about Fai. Whoever said Fai hasn't made any about Kurogane?


**Probably one of th shortest things I've written...Set in Piffle World, so slight spoilers for that if you're following Del Rey exclusively. A bit of an idea I got while reading the part where Kuro and Fai talk about meeting alternate-dimension people from their worlds. Looking back, I'm wondering if I should have made Fai so bitter…ah well. I kinda like it. Enjoy!**

**Jealousy**

_Kurogane has made some rather biased judgments about Fai. Whoever said Fai hasn't made any about Kurogane?_

Jealous.

It was something new. He'd never felt jealousy before. He'd never had to. He used to have everything he wanted. Or at least, everything one should have wanted.

Her smile, her hair, her laugh, her fingers. The obvious way she threw her affectionate glances at him. The obvious way he threw affectionate glances back. Not the same kind of affection, though, he knew. Longing affection. Needy affection. The kind of affection a puppy gave to its master when it wanted attention.

Albeit an incredibly selfish, ungrateful, big puppy with red eyes and a suspicious snarl.

The two girls weren't one and the same. They were different people, different worlds. It took everything he had to remind himself of that. There was more than one Tomoyo. And the one Kurogane missed so badly wasn't the one they had met in this world. The Tomoyo Kurogane wanted was far, far away.

That almost made the whole thing worse.

Knowing that the real one was out of his reach was like trying to deal with a hunkering, hankering sweet tooth that couldn't be appeased. Because if the real one had been there right then, Fai was sure he would have killed her. He _wanted _to kill her, so, so _badly_. Killing the things that annoyed him had always made things so much easier.

But even doing something to the one here wouldn't have helped; she'd been too nice to all of them.

And who knew? Killing her would probably make it worse anyway. If Fai went ahead and killed Tomoyo, Kurogane would be stuck with his own unappeasable sweet tooth, just like him. And Fai might get even angrier, knowing that what Kurogane had had was possible, and completely out of Fai's reach.

Perfect, perfect little bitch…she was probably everything Kurogane made her out to be, and more. Any one or thing that could curb Kurogane's nature so effectively must have been near to a god. A perfect, pretty little god-youth, set with a kingdom and a good nature and some degree of Kurogane's obedience to boot.

Kurogane, who was apparently lucky in every way that Fai wasn't.

Pleasant enough memories of whatever country he was from.

Bravery.

A firm head on his shoulders, set with straight-forward views.

No need to lie, and honest in everything from his silence to his smirk.

And his precious mistress. His mistress had been the most beautiful, kind, loving, sweet, gentle, pacifying, clever, humorous, loving, _perfect_…perfect…

…what had Tomoyo been, anyway? Queen? Princess? Duchess?

Whatever she'd been, she'd owned Kurogane, and Kurogane had certainly seemed satisfied enough the few times he mentioned his position in his home court. Close enough to his sovereign that he called her by name, high enough so that only she could tell him what to do, apparently not obedient enough to stay by her side, but happy enough---

Happy. The worst part. The ethic that seemed to be the main difference between Fai's position and Kurogane's.

Kurogane had served Tomoyo (to some extent) because he was happy to.

Fai had served Ashura (to the fullest extent, if you didn't include that last little tiff the two of them had had) because it was his job.

What Kurogane had lacked in obedience, Fai had compensated double-fold.

What Fai had lacked in happiness, Kurogane had enjoyed to the utmost extent.

Kurogane's mistress had paid enough attention to him to banish him from Japan. Fai hadn't even had that luxury. He'd had to banish himself.

But. _But._ It could have been different. Oh, it could have been so, so different. Maybe that was the worst part.

Knowing that Kurogane had had a mistress like Tomoyo and been ungrateful enough to do something so heinous as to get banished.

Knowing that Fai could have had a mistress like Tomoyo and would have been perfect and respectful and obedient in every single way possible so as to never be sent away from her side.

Worse yet, knowing that Kurogane should have had a master like Ashura. Really, anyone so selfish and ungrateful _deserved_ Ashura. And Kurogane probably would have loved it; killing in the morning, a quick break for lunch, battle plans, and wit contests with his sovereign (and maybe not even those, Fai realized. Was Kurogane really what you could call "witty"? Not really.), more killing in the evening, a hot bath and dinner and then bed.

Could have. Would have. Should have. It didn't matter.

Fai wondered momentarily if the Dimension Witch took revisions on wishes. Could he wish to trade masters with Kurogane?

The smile that had been absent from his lips painfully returned. No, he couldn't. Tomoyo was obviously perfect.

And perfection was priceless.

"Hey. Are you coming inside or what?"

Fai turned to see Kurogane leaning against the doorframe. "It's such a nice view," He replied, flashing an infuriating grin. Tit for tat. Revenge in its most pathetic form.

Kurogane rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Tomoyo's about to make a toast."

Of course Kurogane would stab where it hurt the most. "Ah, yes. Don't want to keep your sovereign waiting, do you?"

The ninja's lip curled. "Whatever. Just hurry up." He turned and stomped back inside, back to his precious alternate-mistress.

Fai remembered with a start that his own master could be lurking in any of the worlds they might come to. He wondered what kind of happy reunion he'd get to have with Ashura.

His gaze wandered through the open doorway to Tomoyo, standing proud and pretty with her fluted glass raised in respect for a victorious race.

Jealous.

So, so jealous…


End file.
